Arizona Adventure

Wilcox Playa

The summer monsoon season in Arizona brings wonderful clouds to the blue blue skies, and standing water in lakes and playas. This photograph was taken in August outside of Wilcox, Arizona, and shows both the clouds and water.

Big Skies

It is monsoon season in Arizona, and I am always amazed by the dramatic big skies with wonderful clouds. This view was from outside of Willcox, Arizona.

The Old Windmill

In the Huachuca Mountains in Southeast Arizona, the old Brown Canyon Ranch has been opened for recreation, with trails for walking, birding, and biking. Some of the old structures are still there, including this old windmill. Judith Sparhawk

The Grasslands Road

Driving out of Patagonia, Arizona, the road is narrow and curvy, transversing rocky hillsides, streams, groves of trees...after several miles, cresting the hill, on the other side is this view of the San Rafael Grasslands spreading out for miles. It made me think of a savanna in Africa..very beautiful.

Lone Tree in the Grasslands

Visiting the San Rafael Grasslands in Arizona, I was impressed by the vast expanses of the green grass and the great monsoon skies. There was this lone tree up on a hillside--it was a small tree, but I wanted to capture it, as the only one.

Butte in the Grasslands

Another view of the San Rafael Grasslands in Arizona, showing both the great expanses of sky and grass. The rocky butte arose out of the grass.

Big Skies

The butte is out in the San Rafael Grasslands in Arizona, shown with immense clouds in the sky. The stormy clouds were coming in from the right side. Our picnic lunch was eaten inside the car because of the impending storm--it was almost like a floor show, watching the fast changes in the sky as we ate. The rain started as we drove away.

Storm Acomin'

In the 30 minutes or so I spent in the San Rafael Grasslands, it went from blue skies with puffy white clouds, to being completely covered over in threatening clouds, and then rain. This shot shows the rainstorm coming in fast.

Cave Creek Canyon Walls

Beautiful walls of Cave Creek Canyon in Southeast Arizona.

Cave Creek Canyon Walls

This is a particularly beautiful rock formation making up the sheer canyon walls of Cave Creek Canyon in SE Arizona. The yellow-green is a lichen that grows on the canyojn walls.

Red and Green

View of the canyon cliffs at Cave Creek Canyon in Southeast Arizona.

Canyon Spires

This view is of the canyon walls of Cave Cree Canyon in the Chiricauhua Mountains in Southeast Arizona. The yellow green on the red rock cliffs is a lichen that grows there.

Cave Creek Canyon Cliffs

Cave Creek Canyon in the Chiricuahua Mountains in southeast Arizona, is surrounded by high cliffs of wonderful red rock.

Cave Creek Vista

The red rocks of Cave Creek Canyon have a bright green lichen that makes an interesting contrast.

Sunrise in Portal

Up before dawn to find the "early birds", I forded this creek just as the sun rose. I stopped to capture the beautiful color reflected in the water. Foothill Road, Portal, Arizona. Judith Sparhawk

Saguaro National Park

This image was from Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona. It shows the large Saguaro cactus plus other plants and cacti against the mountains and monsoon clouds in the sky.

Ocotillo Reaching for the Sky

This image is from Saguaro National Park, which turns nice and green during Monsoon season. There had been enough rain that the Ocotillo was thick with leaves. It appeared that the red flowers were gone, but the green leaves remained.

Saguaro Cactus Bloom

In my July 31st visit to Saguaro NP, it seemed that most of the cactus blossoms were gone. Here and there there would be one with a flower or two, or at least buds. This Saguaro had several buds and one flower, which appears to have attracted several insects with its sweetness.

Fishhook Cactus

This was a small cactus plant with these pretty flowers. It appears to be a type of fishhook cactus. It was in Saguaro National Park in Tucson, AZ.

Sunset Sentinel

Saguaro National Park, Tucson, Arizona.

Desert Pink

Photographed at Saguaro National Park, Tucson, Arizona.

Saguaro Sunset

Tall Saguaro Cacti stand sentinel in Saguaro National Park, with a pink glow from the sunset.

Rainbow in the Desert

~ Driving on Elgin Road out of Sonoita, Arizona, this beautiful rainbow developed over the summer-green desert landscape. I finally found a place to pull off the road to capture the moment.

Desert Sunset ~ It is monsoon season in the southwest deserts, with amazing clouds in the sky daily. Most days I was in the mountains, and missed the sunset moments. I was finally in the town of Sierra Vista, with a promising sky. I drove all over, trying to find a spot without any telephone poles and wires, and waited for the sun to go down. I was happy with the resulting sunset shot.